Merry Christmas...

Guess who forgot to take a single picture of our Christmas morning this year?

Me (and Will).

With or without pictures, we had a wonderful Christmas and hope you did too.

Soooooo Excited!

I think Christmas Eve is better than Christmas Day.

I love how excited the kids get. Wyatt has been bouncing off the walls all day--literally bouncing off the walls. He hops around muttering: "It's Christmas Eve, it's Christmas Eve, it's Christmas Eve!" I remember that feeling--the anticipation almost makes you sick. Clare has told me several times she thinks she is going to spit-up.

I love the nightly prep for the big day. We read or act out the story of Christ's birth. We play games or put together a puzzle all while grazing the snacks spread on the table. We track Santa's progress via NORAD on the computer. Will and I stay up late finishing the last of the wrapping. I always go to bed with a sore back but so excited for the next morning.

This year I am super excited for Adell. We've had a few presents under the tree for a couple of weeks. She has been distantly curious about them. Mostly she just wants to pull them out and squish the bows stuck on top. She has nooooooooooooooo idea she can unwrap them. She is going to be so psyched when she figures it out tomorrow morning.

I cannot wait.

I hope you and yours are excited for Christmas tomorrow! And I wish you a very merry Christmas!

Oh--look what was standing at one of the busiest intersections of my town last week.

Can you see that? Let me zoom in.

Yep, it's a donkey--waiting to cross the road.

Merry Christmas!

Oh The Weather Outside Is Frightful...

The wind is whipping and the rain is pouring--downed palm fronds are every where and some roads have become lakes. We are experiencing an official "Winter Storm" in California. I am thankful that it is Sunday and Will does not have to drive to and from work. I am thankful we have a cozy apartment to keep us warm and dry. Most of all, I am thankful my kids are resourceful in finding indoor entertainment.

Except for Adell, whose indoor entertainment seems to require mess making.

Is It December Already?

I've been nursing a head cold for all of December. The cold isn't so bad that I can demand Will stay home from work. But my head hurts and I cannot focus on all the things calling for my attention (you can imagine how clean my house is right now). Will has been sick too so I am pretty sure if he stayed home he would put himself to bed for the day.

Really, I just want my Mom to be here. I want her to make my bed with clean sheets while I sit in my bedroom chair and complain about all the stuff I'm not getting done. Then I want to climb into the cool, crisp sheets--smelling that strange but familiar smell from the linen closet--and take a nap for three days.

Despite having a sick Mom and Dad we have managed to spread some "Merry" around our home. The Christmas tree is up (we went to Home Depot and grabbed a tree with out even opening up the twine to make sure it was whole...) the "Measuring Tree" is up, the kids made ginger bread houses, we've crafted letters to Santa, and the stocking are hung by the window with care.

On Thursday this past week I attended two "Holiday Sings" at the kids school. I really didn't want to do this. I was feeling particularly crappy the night before and Adell was up in the night. Thursday morning while the kids were eating their cold cereal I led with: "I have some bad news about your Holiday Sing." Instantly their faces fell. I tried to strengthen my argument by playing the "Adell will need a nap" card. Lorien put on a brave face, nodding agreement while her eyes filled with tears. Wyatt just looked at me in disbelief.

The whole scene will be a great addition to the clip reel when I accept my Mother-of-the-year award. Finally, I said I would try to come but I couldn't promise any thing.

I went. It was a pain in the butt--BUT--I went. Boy, oh boy am I ever glad I did. Wyatt sang "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth" (beaming at me the whole time) and Lorien got to play the glockenspiel for one of the Hanukkah songs. Every parent was there sitting with their kids, singing and smiling.

It was an important day.

I'd post a video or two but then you'd have to listen to me singing, which is pretty bad on a regular day but give me a cold and you get a sound that would make an alley cat jealous.

Any way, I am glad the Holidays are here. I love this time of year--craziness and all. Hopefully, I'll kick this cold soon and all will be right in my crazy world.

Thankful...

I am thankful for (in no particular order):

My Family, School, Forgiveness

My Husband, Good Friends, Babies

Our Home, Will's job, Cars

Healthy Kids, Solar Panels, Computers

Food, Food, Food, Piano lessons, Movie nights

Sleep, Beautiful weather of every sort, The scriptures

Jesus Christ, Chocolate, Modern amenities

Hard work, Making mistakes, Primary

and so, so, so much more.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Birthday Baby...

Having children makes me realize how short a year really is. In the weeks leading up to Adell's first birthday I spent some time flipping through pictures from exactly a year before.

Looking at myself all huge and pregnant, watching videos of my belly moving with alien-like independence and seeing pictures of my kids when I just had 3 to keep track of is crazy. That middle picture up there--that is the last picture I took of Lorien, Wyatt and Clare before I went to the hospital to have another baby.

My pregnancy with Adell was a pretty big surprise. We talked about having a fourth child and had decided it would be a good idea--some day. We started making a list of things that should happen before baby #4 could join our family. The list got longer and longer. I don't know if we ever would have checked every thing off. At long last, it took a serious laps in planning on my part and whoops--I was pregnant.

I found out just before we drove down to southern California to go to Disneyland for Clare's 3rd birthday. I had a brilliant plan for breaking the news to Will. I printed "Hey Babe I'm Pregnant" on a sheet of paper. I knew there were rides where your picture was automatically taken for keepsakes. My plan was to flash the paper at the picture point, buy a keepsake and surprise the heck out of my unsuspecting husband.

Brilliant, right?

I wish it would have worked out that way--but it didn't. Clare woke up puking the night before we were suppose to go to Disneyland and I ended up spilling the "I'm pregnant" beans with a heap of hormonal tears in my Aunt Colleen's guest bedroom.

Brilliant, right?

Meh--brilliant "I'm pregnant" reveals are way over rated.

The picture above is from a Disneyland trip a year after Clare's birthday trip. The note says: "I love you Will!"

Well one uneventful pregnancy later, we officially welcomed Adell Becci into our family.

She is a little dear and I will be forever grateful for the serious laps in planning on my part that kicked off this addition to our family.

Happy, happy birthday Adell.

His Two Front Teeth...

Wyatt lost his two front teeth last week (the Tooth Fairy still has not come for the second tooth--lazy fairy...). Adell's two front teeth appeared a couple of weeks ago.

They make a lovely pair.

Running The Birthday Gauntlet...

It is birthday season in the Anderson house.

Lorien and Wyatt on the 8th of November and Adell coming up on the 25th. Last year I decided we would alternate between "friend parties" and "family parties" every year. Last year I was as big as a house (pregnant and praying every day the baby would NOT be born on November 8th) and had no energy for birthday parties.

This year we had a friends-of-the-family party, a family party, a friend party for both kids and a celebration at school for each kid.

I never want to see a lit birthday candle again.

The parties were a hit and both Lorien and Wyatt had a great time. We stayed in within our planned budget--so Will had a great time too.

(At the friends-of-the-family party, the friends-of-the-family brought the cake and the presents...we just showed up. These same friends also bought solar panels from Will's company. Yhea, they are pretty awesome friends.)

Happy birthday my darlings. Please stop growing up. I cannot handle it.

Heaven Help Me Keep My Sanity...

I think my baby girl wakes up every morning with a stretch and a yawn thinking: "How can I drive Momma bonkers today?"

Between unraveling every roll of toilet paper in the house, dropping toys in the toilet and putting every thing she can get her hands on in her mouth--she keeps me pretty busy.

Good think she is super cute.

A Little Light...

It has been a rough week around here--honestly--it has been a rough month! I cannot wait for the clock to strike 12 tonight so October can be over already. But this week has been particularly depressing, at least I've been feeling down in the dumps. My downer has been primarily caused by hormones but definitely fueled by piles of laundry, piles of papers, piles of dishes and piles of library books. I needed a pick-me-up and boy, oh boy did I ever get one.

Lorien and Clare went down to get the mail on Thursday and there was a package! Getting a package in the mail is exciting stuff for anyone, anytime. It just makes you feel good all over--even if it is something you ordered online and were expecting. This package was a surprise for me from my sister, Jennifer. My three sisters (and Mom) live in Maine about 30 miles from each other. It is the pits to be over 2,000 miles away. Not only are all of my sisters (and my Mom) basking in each other's glorious company--they are also soaking up autumn in New England (the lucky-ducks).

Thoughtfully, Jennifer packed a box with six Macintosh apples, some chocolates, a warm sweater and shirt, a milk weed pod (that hadn't opened yet) a little pumpkin, a cinnamon scented candle and a bunch of fall leaves.

It was heaven in a card board box.

It made me cry--tears of joy. (Especially seeing all those leaves.)

There I was, with my kids crowding around, tears streaming down my face pulling out happy fall item after happy fall item. The kids couldn't figure out why I was crying so much.

I tore into one of the apples and only let my kids have one bite each--telling them: "This is the best apple you'll ever eat." No other state can touch a Mackintosh apple. Maine might like to think their potatoes are pretty good but who cares about potatoes when you can grow Mackintosh apples? And these apples came straight from the orchard--not a numbered produce sticker in sight.

I lit the candle for the kids and proceeded to pour over the news paper Jennifer had used to stuff around the leaves and pumpkin. It was just the sports page but it warmed my heart to read about University Maine Women's Basketball coach, Cindy Blodgett and see an advertisement for Dunkin Donuts, I cried a little bit more.

Later that night while I was cleaning up I found one of the paper towels the apples had been wrapped in. My nose was running so I wiped up the snot but had to stop blowing my nose because the paper towel smelled like the apples. I just stood there--huffing apple scent--and cried a little bit more.

Thanks Jennifer! I miss you, Camie, Lesley and Mom heaps and piles and loads. Thanks for making my day a little lighter!

Fun In The Fall...

We did all those usual Fall/Halloween things last week. Just wanted to let you know we were still American.

We carved Jack-O-Lanterns (or is it Jack'O Lanterns?). This was the first year I let the kids design their own pumpkins and let the big kids carve their own pumpkins. We only lost three or four fingers to the attempt! (Kidding, not even a scratch...)

It is harder than you think to keep a curious 11 month-old away from open flame or from crawling off a dining table.

Just so you know.

The kids had their Halloween Parade and parties at school. They were excited to march around the field and I was happy it wasn't raining.

And last, but certainly not least--we had our church Halloween Party. We ate chili, corn bread and pumpkin pie. We roamed around a few of the in door activities. Most importantly of all--the Trunk-or-Treat! Lorien was allowed to go trunk to trunk with her friend while Will took the younger kids around. As a result, Lorien was free to hit every car two or three times while Wyatt and Clare had to stop at "once around the parking lot".

You can imagine the tummy aches that followed.

Happy Fall!

Patch-O-Pumpkins...

I just--I mean just upgraded to Blogger's new post drafting settings. I know this has been a spiffy feature of Blogger for a while but when I first tried it out I couldn't find the spell check. Which is to say--the new editing software did not have spell check. And not only do I have pretty bad spelling, I have a heightened paranoia about people seeing my spelling errors. Seriously, if I type up a paragraph and none of the words have red squiggly lines under them, I type the word "blerg" just to make sure spell check is properly picking up my spelling errors. So a post editor that did not have spell check was not for me.

Thankfully, Blogger added spell check and I can join the New Age.

On to those pumpkins mentioned in the title...

Clare's preschool had a trip to the pumpkin patch a week ago. Her preschool teacher thoughtfully scheduled the filed trip for the late afternoon so older siblings could come along. This timing also meant our arrival at the pumpkin patch coincided perfectly with the arrival of "The Fog". "The Fog" in this part of California does not mess around. It is not a soft whisper of mist clinging to the tops of trees or skirting far off fields...no, no. "The Fog" is more like rain--except it doesn't fall from the sky--it just sits all around you: on your skin, head, car, stroller and any other surface foolish enough to be out in "The Fog".

We had a great time. The Pumpkin Patch was decked out in a Mythology theme. Wyatt liked seeing the big metal statue of the Minotaur--we are listening to the first Percy Jackson book and had just heard about Percy's run in with the Minotaur.

Wyatt raced around the hay bale maze and Clare rode the little train around and around and around--while I stood (with a forced smile) getting sopping wet with each passing second. Finally--about the time my clothes were drenched with mist and I was a standing puddle--it was time to go. We hastily picked out pumpkins and the kids raced to the car. With chattering teeth I started the car and thought: "I'll never do that again, at least not with out hip waders and a rain slicker."

Believe it or not, it was a good day.

Playing Hookie...

Sorry, no witty writing in this post...just a run-down of events and a whole-lotta pictures. They are great pictures...

Will had a business meeting down in Monterey last Monday. The night before we decided to pull the kids out of school and make the trip a little family get-away. While Will was in his meeting the kids and I played at the Dennis the Menace Park.

After Will's meeting we had a late breakfast/early lunch and then headed to the beach.

We spent the afternoon exploring the sand dunes, running in and out of the waves and having a great time. I could have stayed all day. I took about a thousand pictures...the day was so beautiful! Hopefully we'll make it back down again soon for another full day.

(From Will) "The caption for that one should be: 'Will contemplating which one to sacrifice to Poseidon.'"